AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Who was who?”
“Which one of us is the fool?”
“Oh… that man, just now? Yes, a hapless vagrant, I think. Not of your concern.”
“With a horse?” Arin frowned.
“His only companion. Truly, a sad tale of one man’s descent into drunkenness and poverty, his horse his only company.”
Arin huffed. He stumbled some in the mud, stomping on the corner of his cloak, then cursed when he saw the stains. “Your lies insult us both,” he snapped.
“Why would I lie about a man and his horse, Your Highness?” I chuckled, drawing several disapproving glares from the passing crowd. Enough to ruffle Arin’s feathers. He noticed them glaring and stepped away from me.
He didn’t like to be seen with me. But alone, he was happy enough to get up close and very personal. Interesting.
“Why, indeed.” He hesitated, torn between interrogating me further and returning to his father’s side, where he should be. “Are you going to lie and tell me how that man didn’t threaten you?”
“Threaten me?” I laughed. “I think I would have noticed. He was asking for the way to the inn, you see. That terrible drinking habit—”
“Then I suppose that is not blood there, on your coat?”
I followed his gaze. A dark patch had bloomed through my sodden coat. Now that he’d mentioned it, the burn from the dagger against my back hadn’t faded, despite the blade having departed with its owner. “Ah yes, a fall… earlier. The rain has made the paths treacherous. You should be careful, my prince. Your cloak is already stained. That is the trouble with white, no? So easily sullied.”
He glared, all fierce and angry, his cheeks flushed, making those freckles stand out. Rain had plastered his hair to his face and neck. He looked just like he had in the bathing house, damp and hot, although clearly not aroused this time. “You can’t help yourself, can you? The lies fall from your lips like rain from the skies.”
“I am but an entertainer, a story teller, an artist, if you will.” I bowed again. “If you’ll excuse me, I have this evening’s passing feast to prepare for.”
I left the prince standing alone in the rain, and almost made it back to the palace gates without glancing back. Almost. When I did turn, seeking his gaze, he stood with his back to the palace, staring the way of Danyal’s departure.
Arin was too quick, too clever, too ruthless. And in three days, I’d have to leave his rotten court for one a thousand times worse.
Three days were not enough to know the Prince of Love.
But three days were all I had.
And Danyal was right. I didn’t have a choice.
CHAPTER7
“Ellyn, my only true friend, do you have some time?” I’d caught her moments after her shift, her hair messy, clothes ripe with kitchen smells, and her eyes heavy-lidded.
She unlaced her apron and hung it with the others in the pantry. “If it’s a favor you’re after, I surely have none left to give.”
“I promise, it’s not that.”
She left the pantry and headed back into the main kitchen with its long preparation table and several other staff, kneading dough for pies or bread, I wasn’t sure. “What is it then?” she asked.
“A stroll into town, my treat. Dinner, some mead? It’s been too long since we’ve let our hair down.”
She stopped at the table’s edge and glowered. “No strings attached?”
“I… well—”
“Lark, catch!” One of the other kitchen staff tossed a potato. I caught it, and the two more she threw my way, juggled them for a few cycles, and flung them back. The woman squealed, attracting the attention of a few of the other staff about to retire for the night.
With all eyes on me, I picked up a paring knife, and two others that lay nearby, and flicked all three into the air, juggling them. Chaos controlled, the stakes were high. If my timing failed, I’d potentially lose another finger. The little knives spun. My onlookersoohed.
“Stop,” Ellyn said, a plea in her voice.
